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December Entry: River Police Station

Since I'm NOT sponsoring this month's challenge, "I get to participate!"

As far as which method - hand-drawn, 3D rendered, or otherwise digitally created, I haven't decided. If do go hand-drawn, creating a 3D model for reference is still a good thing, so this is the way I begin...

The Sack of Seagaard: Day 5, Eve of Destruction...
In retaliation for the continued occupation of the Elaran Shore by the armies of Dernallion, Enythaar, the Last High King of the Elves, has planned the Burning of the Dernallion Shore, but must first take Seagaard, as the military fortress dominated the entrance to Dernmouth Harbor. With Seagaard taken, the elven fleet can prevent the Dernallion navy from entering the channel and becoming a major force in this Elven revenge plot.

The naval fortress of Seagaard has many artillery platforms bristling its ramparts, thus controlling access to the harbor and protecting the royal fleet. An underground stream running from the distant hills exits the sea from beneath the fortress providing water, as well as subterranean access to the shore at the peninsula's end - allowing food, supplies, weapons and additional soldiers to keep the fortress at full stock at all times. Under normal circumstances, this fortress is both unassailable and resistant to seige.

The Elven High King has called upon the deities of the sea to aid in sacking Seagaard - divine intervention will turn the tide on this day!

The image below is just an idea of the fortification under siege... much more to come!

I'm goin' 3D isometric photo realism...

I've decided to go 3D isometric with as much photo realism as I can muster. I need to populate those platforms with ballistae, trebuche and catapults. I need to man those fortifications with defenders. I'm going to fill that water area with boats, some with their own firing platforms, others with gangways and ladders. I plan to thrown a couple pegasi flying elven knights, and perhaps a giant wave coming in from the right side of the map.

The water is from a CGTextures photo, that I've used here and there, but never at its potential - this map really shows the true value of that texture!

What do you think so far?

The fortress has been rendered isometrically, yet it still has a realistic feel. Notice the waterfall coming from between the south-facing ballistae abutments - this is from the underground stream.

Looks very good (disturbingly so !). You need to foreshorten those textures. At the moment it feels that the textured areas are top down, particularly the rock, and the castle is iso. Also, there are some weird edges in the water texture - SE of the castle there's a curved line between light and dark that is a strange area to see.

I'm really liking the castle, but the base map you're setting it on could use revising. The water just isn't working for me, it looks like you've taken a close up photo of small wave action in very shallow water, at the very edge of the surf. (as in it looks like what I expect to see water doing when it has spread out to just a few mm deep, high on a long sloping shore. This isn't how I expect to see deep water off a rocky coast acting.)

Honestly I would almost suggest looking into rendering the water as its own 3d model. I know there are several tool sets out there for doing so. It would give you far more control over what you are doing.

One other thing, as currently rendered, the 'watefall' looks more like some kind of channel level with the rest of the water. Might help if you rotate your castle a little so we're not looking squarely at it.

I'm really liking the castle, but the base map you're setting it on could use revising. The water just isn't working for me, it looks like you've taken a close up photo of small wave action in very shallow water, at the very edge of the surf. (as in it looks like what I expect to see water doing when it has spread out to just a few mm deep, high on a long sloping shore. This isn't how I expect to see deep water off a rocky coast acting.)

Actually you've danced around what I'm really trying to do here (not that that water graphic doesn't need some kind of help, but...) I plan to place Tsunami coming in from the east of the map. I was thinking of pulling the water back away from the shoreline to build up the wave that's oncoming. First I wanted to try heavily churning "shallow" water as the it's drawing towards the Tsunami. Again, all very experimental.

I also plan to place some ship/boats in that water to hide some of its inconsistencies and as part of the besiegers.

I may make some changes, but there lots more going into the map, and a good chance what follows will cover up what's wrong with it right now. We'll have to see.